Joint Open Letter by the Brussels-based networks HRDN, of which OMCT is a member organisation, CONCORD, EPLO and VOICE.​

Dear
EU heads of state and government,

Re. Multiannual Financial Framework
2021

19 February
2018

We
are writing to you in advance of your informal meeting on Friday 23 February
and the ministerial conference on the next Multiannual Financial Framework
(MFF) on Friday 9 March.

We
hope that you will find time during your upcoming discussions on the next MFF
to reflect on the various commitments on development, humanitarian assistance,
peacebuilding, gender equality, rule of law, human rights and democracy, which
the EU has made in recent years, including in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, the World Humanitarian Summit, the Global Strategy for the EU’s
Foreign and Security Policy, and the European Consensus on Development.

We
strongly believe that the decisions you make in the coming months about the
size and scope of the next MFF will be central to ensuring that the EU is able
to translate those laudable ambitions into concrete actions. In this context,
we urge you to consider the following recommendations:

1.Include
a strong external budget focused on EU values

The
EU’s external actions should be based on its values as set out in Article 21 of
the Lisbon Treaty. These values have led to a number of international
commitments on development, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding, gender
equality, rule of law, human rights and democracy, which the EU cannot fulfil
unless it has the financial means to do so.

This
will require an increase in the amount of funding which the EU allocates to
external actions (current Heading 4 plus the European Development Fund (EDF))
and for this funding to remain distinct from that which is allocated in pursuit
of other objectives (e.g. under current Heading 3). It should have a clear
external focus and should, therefore, not be used to fund activities aimed at
securing the EU’s borders. Similarly, it should not be used to support military
activities either inside the EU or in partner countries.

The
EU’s humanitarian aid must be delivered in a timely manner, in accordance with
the humanitarian principles and based on needs, as enshrined in the Treaty and
the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid. Therefore, a separate instrument
for humanitarian aid must be maintained. Similarly, the EU should demonstrate
its continued commitment to promoting human rights and democracy and to
building peace in partner countries by maintaining separate thematic
instruments dedicated to these topics. In the current political context, in which
civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders (HRDs) are under
threat globally, it is paramount that the EU ensures adequate, independent and
impartial funding to individuals and organisations working on human rights,
democracy and peacebuilding issues.

3.Increase
support for civil society

Civil
society actors play a key role in helping the EU to achieve its external action
objectives in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding,
gender equality, rule of law, human rights and democracy. It is, therefore,
essential that the EU continues to support CSOs to fulfil this important role.
All future external financing instruments should be as accessible as possible
to a diverse range of CSOs, and this should be reflected in the rules which
govern them.

In
addition to providing financial support to civil society actors, the EU should
also try to use its political weight to ensure that they are able to fulfil
their various roles unhindered, especially in those countries where civil
society activities are curtailed and/or are at risk.

4.Involve
CSOs in the MFF process

By
involving CSOs working on development, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding,
human rights and democracy in dialogue at the different steps of
decision-making processes, the EU can maximise the effectiveness of its
external actions. The EU institutions and EU Member States should involve CSOs
at the highest level in the ongoing discussions about the next MFF in order to
ensure that EU decision-makers hear as diverse a range of views as possible.

We
wish you fruitful discussions in the coming weeks and we look forward to
engaging with you on these and other issues as the negotiations on the next MFF
progress.

Yours
sincerely,

Johannes
Trimmel President CONCORD

Tinatin
Tsertsvadze Troika member HRDN

Sonya
Reines-Djivanides Executive Director EPLO

Kathrin
Schick Director VOICE

cc.

Mr
Donald Tusk, President of the European Council

Mr
Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission

Ms
Federica Mogherini, High Representative Union for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission

Mr
Günther Oettinger, Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources

Mr
Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development

Mr
Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and
Citizenship

Mr
Julian King, Commissioner for Security Union

CONCORD
is the European NGO confederation for Relief and Development. With the support
of our 51 members, our confederation, representing over 2,600 NGOs, is the main
interlocutor with the EU institutions on development policy. Since 2003, we
work towards a world where people enjoy their right to live free of poverty and
exploitation as well as their right to enjoy wellbeing and equality.

The
European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) is the independent civil society
platform of European NGOs, networks of NGOs and think tanks which are committed
to peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict. EPLO aims to influence
the EU so that it promotes and implements measures which lead to sustainable
peace between states and within states and peoples, and which transform and
resolve conflicts non-violently.

The
Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN) is an informal grouping of NGOs
operating at the EU level in the broader areas of human rights, democracy and
peace. HRDN’s vision is that human rights and democracy are placed at the heart
of the EU’s internal and external policy agenda. This vision should manifest
itself in an EU which effectively protects human rights at home and is a force
for positive change in the world. In pursuit of this vision, HRDN aims to
influence EU and EU Member States’ human rights policies and the programming of
their funding instruments to promote democracy, human rights and peace.

VOICE
(Voluntary Organisations in Cooperation in Emergencies) is a network
representing 84 European NGOs active in humanitarian aid worldwide. VOICE is
the main NGO interlocutor with the European Union on emergency aid and disaster
risk reduction and it promotes the values of humanitarian NGOs.